Jae Hee

Biographical Overview & Key Facts

Subject:

Jae Hee

Role / Field:

South Korean actor known for roles in 3-Iron and Sassy Girl Chun-hyang.

Born:

1980-05-25

Century / Era:

1980s Historical Era

Database Source:

2Day Chrono-Wiki & Wikipedia CC BY-SA 4.0

Origins & Early Life

Jae Hee (Korean: 재희; born Lee Hyun-kyun on May 25, 1980) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his leading roles in the 2004 arthouse film 3-Iron and the 2005 television series Sassy Girl Chun-hyang. Jae Hee began his acting career as a child actor in the 1997 drama Mountain. He continued to appear on television, such as in the campus drama School 2 and the family sitcom Wuri's Family, as well as the 2000 horror film Bloody Beach. In 2004, he was cast as the lead actor in Kim Ki-duk's 3-Iron, playing a silent young man who breaks into vacant houses and while living there for a few days, he cleans the house and repairs broken gadgets during his stay.

Career & Major Achievements

The arthouse film won critical acclaim both locally and internationally. For his performance Jae Hee was named Best New Actor at the Blue Dragon Film Awards. But Jae Hee's breakout role would come in 2005, when he played the playful but loyal Lee Mong-ryong in Sassy Girl Chun-hyang, a modernized romantic comedy based on the well-known folktale Chunhyangjeon. It became a huge hit not only in Korea, but throughout Asia, making him and co-star Han Chae-young into Korean Wave stars. He followed that with action comedy film The Art of Fighting in 2006, in which he played a bullied high school kid who learns about martial arts and life from a wizened mentor (played by veteran actor Baek Yoon-sik).

Enduring Legacy & Impact

Jae Hee returned to television, playing a chef in 2007's Witch Yoo Hee (in which he reunited with Chun-hyang director Jeon Ki-sang), and a surrogate father in 2008's One Mom and Three Dads, but those series were less successful ratings-wise. On August 5, 2008, he enlisted for mandatory military service. He was assigned to the Defense Media Agency until his discharge on June 18, 2010. For his first post-army project, Jae Hee was initially cast in Bravo, My Love!, but had to drop out after he sustained a back injury during windsurfing practice for the role. Instead, he starred as the chaebol heir of a cosmetics firm in cable romantic comedy Color of Woman, which aired on Channel A in 2011.

Chronological Milestones & Life Events

1. 1980 (1980-05-25): Birth of Jae Hee — South Korean actor known for roles in 3-Iron and Sassy Girl Chun-hyang.
2. 1997: 1997 Milestone — Jae Hee began his acting career as a child actor in the 1997 drama Mountain.
3. 2000: 2000 Milestone — He continued to appear on television, such as in the campus drama School 2 and the family sitcom Wuri's Family, as well as the 2000 horror film Bloody Beach.
4. 2004: 2004 Milestone — He is best known for his leading roles in the 2004 arthouse film 3-Iron and the 2005 television series Sassy Girl Chun-hyang.
5. 2005: 2005 Milestone — But Jae Hee's breakout role would come in 2005, when he played the playful but loyal Lee Mong-ryong in Sassy Girl Chun-hyang, a modernized romantic comedy based on the well-known folktale Chunhyangjeon.
6. 2006: 2006 Milestone — He followed that with action comedy film The Art of Fighting in 2006, in which he played a bullied high school kid who learns about martial arts and life from a wizened mentor (played by veteran actor Baek Yoon-sik).
7. 2007: 2007 Milestone — Jae Hee returned to television, playing a chef in 2007's Witch Yoo Hee (in which he reunited with Chun-hyang director Jeon Ki-sang), and a surrogate father in 2008's One Mom and Three Dads, but those series were less successful ratings-wise.
8. 2008: 2008 Milestone — On August 5, 2008, he enlisted for mandatory military service.
9. 2010: 2010 Milestone — He was assigned to the Defense Media Agency until his discharge on June 18, 2010.
10. 2011: 2011 Milestone — Instead, he starred as the chaebol heir of a cosmetics firm in cable romantic comedy Color of Woman, which aired on Channel A in 2011.

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Jae Hee

True or False: “Jae Hee's initial breakout role was in the film 3-Iron, which earned him Best New Actor at the Blue Dragon Film Awards.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): While he starred in 3-Iron and won critical acclaim, his major breakthrough role that propelled him to Korean Wave stardom was actually in the television series Sassy Girl Chun-hyang.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Abby Wambach — Contemporary (Born in 1980) (1980): Iconic American soccer forward, celebrated for her goal-scoring prowess and longevity.
• Adande Thorne — Contemporary (Born in 1980) (1980): Trinidadian-American YouTuber, animator, comedian, and actor known as Swoozie.
• Alejo Carpentier — Contemporary (Died in 1980) (1980): Influential Cuban novelist, essayist, and musicologist of the Latin American Boom.
• Abd al-Rahman al-Sufi — Shared historical date (05-25 · Died) (986): Influential Persian astronomer known for expanding Ptolemaic models and stellar catalogs.
• Ajahn Buddhadasa — Shared historical date (05-25 · Died) (1993): Pioneering Thai Buddhist monk known for reinterpreting doctrine and fostering religious reformation.
• Alexei Kosygin — Historical peer (Died in 1980) (1980): Soviet statesman who chaired the Council of Ministers from 1964 to 1980.
• Alexei Yagudin — Historical peer (Born in 1980) (1980): Pioneering Russian figure skater, celebrated for multiple World and Olympic titles.
• A. A. K. Niazi — Historical peer (Died in 2004) (2004): Pakistani general who commanded Eastern Command during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War.
• Ahn Ji-ho (actor) — Historical peer (Born in 2004) (2004): South Korean actor known for starting his career in web series.
• Ahmed Zaki (actor) — Historical peer (Died in 2005) (2005): Iconic Egyptian actor celebrated for intense dramatic performances and masterful impersonation.
• 1980 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1980
• May 25 (05-25) On This Day — Historical birthdays and events on May 25

Frequently Asked Questions about Jae Hee